Math Help Please.

[Sarahjohnson39]

Im at HCC and they offer no help for Nursing math at all. Just hand us some sample questions and sink or swim. If anyone could tell me how to set this up that would be great!

TWO STEP ML/HR FLOW RATECALCULATION

A med is ordered at the rate of 3mcg/kg/min for an adult weighing 95.9 kg. The solution strength is 400mg in 250ml D5W. CALCULATE FLOW RATE TOTHE NEAREST TENTH.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

OP look at the problem what do you need to know?

A med is ordered at the rate of 3mcg/kg/min for an adult weighing 95.9 kg. The solution strength is 400mg in 250ml D5W. CALCULATE FLOW RATE TO THE NEAREST TENTH.

Your patient weighs 95.9kg....you need to give 3mcg/kg/min

Weight in Kg * Dosage Per Kg = Y (Required Dosage)

Then you need to find the drip rate

[TABLE=class: formula]

[TR]

[TD][TABLE=class: fraction]

[TR]

[TD=class: numerator]Ordered Per Hour [/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=class: denominator] Have [/TD]

[/TR]

[/TABLE]

[/TD]

[TD] x Volume (mL) [/TD]

[TD] = Y (Flow Rate in mL/hr)[/TD]

[/TR]

[/TABLE]

[beingthankful]

WOW!! Just wow... and shame on some of the posters. OP, you asked for assistance on how to set it up? Yes, this is a true TWO step. It sucks. So write this down after me. Here we go:

Step 1: Find the conversion factor that you need.

- you need to do this by breaking down the "med rate ordered"

*3mcg/kg/min for an adult weighing 95.9 kg*

3mcg 95.9 kg

1 kg x 1 min

cross out the "kg" - they cancel each other out giving you:

3mcg x 95.9

1 1 min

Gives you 287.7mcg

1 min

THIS is the end of step 1. This is your "c" factor (conversion)

Step 2:

You're looking for mL/Hr = the best way that worked for many of my classmates & I is to set up the top value you're looking for. i/e - "mL" Let's do it together.

mL = 250mL 1mg 287.7mcg 60min

hr 400mg x 1000mcg x 1min x 1hr

cancel out all the "buddies" giving you this:

250mL x 1 x 287.7 x 60 4315500mL 10.78 = 10.8mL

400 x 1000 x 1 x1 = 400000hr = hr

your question was rounded to the tenth so voila'

Hope this helps. You can use this to work out the other one you were given as well. Good luck!

[beingthankful]

and the spacing STILL looks crazy.... sorry OP. Hopefully you can make some sense of it though

[Boog'sCRRN246, RN]

This is off-topic, but I would really like to know what school/state/country allows a student to not take ANY math class beyond ninth grade and beyond geometry. And also what nursing program requires NO math class as a prerequisite? Could this maybe have something to do with all the math difficulties I see students having on this site? Just an observation, not being judgmental. I was put through the ringer in high school and college math classes, and now, if what I'm reading is correct, math is not even a requirement?

[mrsboots87]

My program required college level math at a minimum. No matter what level math you got to in Highschool. College math had basic stats/probability, algebra, a little geometry and something else. They also required chem either from highschool or taken in college. Both if those classes would show how to work these problems. It's sad that not all programs require at least basic college math as a requirement for entry to the program, see as med math can seem so complicated to those who didn't have to take anything. I took trig in highschool so college math was a cake walk, but that is not the case for everyone. GreenTea's breakdown in her second comment was fantastic if you don't know how to set up dimensional analysis since it broke the question down piece by piece. Our program uses Calculate with Confidence, which I thought explained both the formula methods and dimensional analysis method pretty well. I wish all schools required a math for entry and until this thread, I wasn't even aware that some schools didn't.

[Bbett, MSN, NP]

While math was not a requirement for my program, we did have to get above a 90 on our HESI which would assume that someone could pass basic middle school math.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

WOW!! Just wow... and shame on some of the posters. OP, you asked for assistance on how to set it up? Yes, this is a true TWO step. It sucks. So write this down after me. Here we go:

As a part of the Terms of Service we require ALL students to at least attempt to show what they think FIRST. As nurses our goal here at AN to to help ALL students become THE BEST nurse they can be. We do that by requiring participation of the OP and how they they the problem should be set up so we can BEST see where the OP is missing or where they need direction. Calculations are imperative to the patients safety and are performed every day. To give the answers isn't helping the student learn.

Show me your work FIRST. Participate in the learning process and I will lead you right to the correct answer. But is requires participation.